This invention is related to the field of connectors. More particularly, this invention relates to a coaxial connector for an annular corrugated coaxial cable which can be installed in the field without special tools.
Currently existing one piece connectors present certain problems. U.S. Pat. No. 6,809,964 discloses a connector which uses ball bearings that engage a corrugation groove of the cable""s outer conductor. However, the ball bearings do not make a 360 degree contact. Therefore, passive intermodulation (PIM) performance can be degraded. Also, although it uses an O-ring, the O-ring doesn""t engage the corrugation groove. Instead it seals on the crest of a corrugation, that can be subjected to damage when the jacket is removed. Lastly, a special tool is required to trim the cable before the connector can be installed.
Another connector made by Spinner must be installed in a multistep operation. First, the O-ring must be installed. Next, the connector is placed over the corrugated shield and O-ring of the corrugated cable. In addition, the O-ring must be compressed by hand pressure as the connector is installed. This limits the amount of squeeze the O-ring can be compressed. Finally, the Spinner connector uses a non-standard tool called a spanner wrench for large size connectors.
The present invention is a one step connector, comprising a body, having a first end with a threaded interior portion which mates with a back nut having a threaded exterior portion. In addition, it comprises a collet having resilient fingers and an oversized O-ring. The body further comprises a taper between its base and side for closing the resilient fingers radially by pressing on an end of the resilient fingers. Located midway on the resilient fingers is a ramp which makes contact with an interior surface of the back nut to also aid in closing the resilient fingers. Furthermore, the back nut comprises a bore which compresses the O-ring when the connector is being clamped to a cable. In addition, the back nut includes a shoulder to provide rigidity to the collet by engaging a tab of the collet.
In another preferred embodiment, the present invention is a coaxial cable assembly comprising the one step connector and a RF coaxial cable having an annular corrugated outer conductor, a center conductor and a dielectric material located between the outer conductor and the center conductor.
In still another preferred embodiment, the present invention is a method of sealing a connector to a cable. When a backnut is screwed into a body, a collet is collapsed around a first corrugation groove of a cable""s jacket. In addition, a lubricated O-ring is pushed by resilient fingers of the collet out of a cavity into a corrugation groove in the cable""s outer conductor. Furthermore, the O-ring is compressed by a bore located on the backnut.